i am booking in for a lumpectomy on the 22nd of july under local anathetic and am wondering if someone could give me a no holes bared account of what actually happens. i handle things much better when i know exactly what will happen as opposed to letting my imagination run away with me.
when i ask the “professionals” i either get sugar coated responses or such big words i dont understand a word of it.
i know this is a very difficult request and i realise that not everyone is like me and want to know what happens so if it is appropriate please inbox me so it does not cause possible distress for anyone else.
if anyone could help i would really appriciate it.
sorry i saw lumpectomy, and missed local anesthetic–surely this cannot be right?? i was about to give you a blow by blow of what i was expecting. Do you mean general anesthetic
hi
I had a lumpectomy on 17th May, also axillary clearance. I was extremely nervous like everyone but it was ok. I arrived at the hosp at 7am, saw one of the surgeons who drew on my boob, then I had an ultrasound, saw the anesthetic (Sorry if dodgy spelling) who gave me a couple of tablets to take. Then got changed into a gown, waited for a while then went to theatre. They gave me the anesthetic then the next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room. The surgeon I saw before my op explained the scar would be big as he was going to move some tissue from around the side of the breast to the front and moved my nipple so it wouldnt dip (I have large boobs!) The scar runs from around the side of the breast underneath and up to the nipple if that makes sense. I had a drain in which stayed in for 10 days. I came home the following evening thanks to my surgeon who fixed the problem with my drain at 8pm so I could go home. Now 3 and a bit weeks on my scars are healing nicely. I couldnt do any housework or lift anything for 2 weeks Are you have axillary clearance as well? I was relieved after the op was done and dont know why I worried so much but I had never had any surgery before so didnt know what to expect. Ness xxxx
No lumpy i have been told it can, and in my case will be done under local anathetic and i will be in and out in a day. is this totally unknown to everyone on here?
maybe it is all down to which health service you fall into. i have found that i have a lot more options available to me than people living 15 mile down the road because of the welsh - english border.
scans and stuff are showing the lump is 33mm - not sure if that is big or not but i am guessing not, no no mention of lymph nodes at all but they are saying it is cancerous - really confused now.
I had a small lump and some nodes removed under general anaesthetic and was in and out in a day. Went back for more nodes to be removed, again under general anaesthetic and was again, in and out in a day. If you want to be in and out in a day they will be more than pleased to let you go - so long as you are ok to do so.
These were my 2nd and 3rd operations ever and I can well remember the terror of my 1st general anaesthetic. By the 2nd I didn’t care and by the 3rd I was just saying ‘get on with it!’ After the last I went to an agility dog training class in the evening, I was as high as a kite but wanted to be there and the dog and I had a whale of a time! I had had an early slot and my Mum drove me and the dog to the class…
It will hurt for a few days but that’s what painkillers are for - can’t tell you more than that as I was obviously asleep…
Good luck! The thoughts that go round your head are far far worse than the actual operation. Just take it a day at a time. xx
right, have been reading and re-reading everything the hospital have given me as i was convinced i had got it wrong but no it is really being done under local.
after a lot of research i have found out that apparently, unless there are drastic reasons not to, it is always done under local in other counties around the world, especially america and over the past year they have been introducing it in the uk, focusing it on younger patients with no other health problems.
why do i feel like a Guinea pig?
well i am guessing that i am not likely to find many others who have had it done under local but thank you all for your help.
Are you having a sentinel node biopsy or node sampling procedure done so they can check for evidence of whether its spread to your lymph nodes? Do they do that under local anaesthetic too now? Suppose its cheaper and less anaesthetic risk. My snb and lumpectomy were under a general anaesthetic, i just stayed in overnight but my op was in the afternoon hence overnight stay i think.
I know from your other thread that you havent been offered chemo as things stand. However, with a 33mm tumour, even without node involvement, i suspect there would be quite a significant statistical benefit to be gained from chemo, even for a grade 1 cancer and certainly for grade 2 or 3. I really dont wish to scare you, but in all my time on the forum i havent seen someone in their 20s with a tumour this size not be offered chemo. I have really deliberated on whether to post this but in the end have decided too as i couldnt not, its too important to say it and that outweighs my fear of upsetting you. Please consider getting a second opinion after surgery if chemo isnt offered. Theres a thread for ladies in their 20s which should be useful for you. The first shot at beating the cancer is your best one. Oh, forgot to ask, after your biopsy what kind if cancer did they say it was, what grade provisionally and what was its oestrogen status as these also all help on a chemo decision.
I have been told that unless they are wrong about my type of tumor they are not considering chemo. it was a different breast nurse at the last meeting and when she started talking about radio therapy i said I thought i might not be having that either. She thought that could not be right,if you keep your breast you have radiotherapy she said and went off to check. Came back and said I was right, unless their initial diagnoses is wrong there will be no radiotherapy.
I asked about grades and hormone reception and they said they did not know.
mind you nothing is certain till they have it out and in the lab
Have just read your post and i am like everybody else have never heard of anyone getting a local for a lumpectomy.
I had an 18mm tumour in my ducts but 8mm was invasive ductal cancer grade 3. I then went on to have 6 lymph nodes removed for testing thankfully they were all clear. As the cells were grade 3 I went on to have 6 FEC and 20 Rads, a year on I am clear and feeling good.
I hope everything goes well for you and that you find out all the answers you need. Always ask questions and take someone with you whwn you go to see your consultant,because i know that my head was spinning when i heard the news.
Hi
A lot has been said and I guess I dont want to repeat it all. It sounds like you should give your breast care nurse a ring and get some clarification. It does seem unusual to have a local. I asked about having one For the 2nd op as I was so sick with 1st anaesthetic, but they said I would struggle to maintain the correct position for the lump removal then under the arm for node removal. But ask again to get some reassurance
I think its quite right that in many countries its done under an LA I would have been quite happy to have it that way if it had been offered. I suspect that takes a little longer. I was scared in advance but quite happy with GA.